Best Sportswriter

Bernie Miklasz, St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Reading time: less than one minute. When it comes to sports in St. Louis, the one guy who seems to have his finger on the pulse of things is Bernie Miklasz. As chief sports columnist for the Post-Dispatch, that's his job, of course. But coming up with a fresh, frank and sometimes controversial take on things is not as easy as it might seem. Any number of numbskulls who call -- or, heck, even host -- local sports-radio shows are proof positive of that. But day after day, column after column, Miklasz fires away with commentary and reportage that is honest and, above all, a good read. In rare cases, Miklasz becomes part of the story himself -- as in a midseason flap with Ken Griffey Jr. over whether or not Junior called SportsCenter to complain of too much favorable coverage for his centerfield rival Jim Edmonds. But even then, Bernie's just doing his job: getting a scoop, telling the story, keeping the ball constantly bouncing.